Arts & Entertainment

Best Comedy Podcast St. Louis 2012 - Tackling Tough Issues

Standup comics tend to be needy, not to mention somehow damaged or fucked up, which goes a long way toward explaining why it is that listening to them emote and bust balls is wicked fun. This certainly holds true for Tackling Tough Issues, the comedy podcast of record in the St. Louis scene. It's the brainchild of local standup Steve Poggi, who launched it in 2010 not long after a booze-fueled blackout episode left him Tased and arrested. A newly sober Poggi corralled two pals from the Funny Bone — emcee Sean O'Brien and booker Matt Behrens — to join him for the rap sessions. Now, every week or so, they set up chairs and mics on the stage of the Funny Bone and have at it. The issues they tackle aren't "tough" in the geopolitical sense, but they talk shop without pulling punches, whether the topic is a big national act like Anthony Jeselnik or a local legend like Dan Chopin. Said recent guest and former St. Louis-based comic Jeremy Essig: "I've never met such a group of people that are so sensitive, yet talk shit fucking constantly." Enjoy!